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High Cost of (Fine Wine) Living
Outskirts - Nova Cronum Amidst the strange, sizzling waters is the island of Nova Cronum, a philosophers haven. Its held aloft on a plateau with steep, jagged cliffs of ruddy metal, one side occupied by the renowned Praetorus Wharf and the other bleeding into Thunderhead Pass. Contents: Nova Cronum Arcee emerges from the spacebridge terminus. Arcee has arrived. <'Cybertron'> "*signal with heavy static, which eventually begins to clear and an unknown mech's voice can be heard* This is Driver-Nine-One-Seven, my shuttle is experiencing mechanical distress...failure is imminent, I am at approximate coordinates 817.284 bearing west of Nova Cronum... *more static* ...engine two exploded, transport going down. SOS, please send assistance." In the sky west of Nova Cronum, there is a bright blaze of light, a sudden explosion, and a cargo transport vessel suddenly begins a very shakey emergency descent. It's going to be a rough landing, though. Arcee darts ahead to gracefully transform into her pink Cybertronian Tech Car, enging purring, ready to go! Pink Saturn Sky overhears the distress call on the main radio scanner, and she begins driving out toward the doomed transport as fast as possible, hoping the driver has enough skill to 'crash well'. Space Shuttle happens to be in the area. Well, "happens" isn't quite the right word. The Autobots have become more active in the area around Nova Cronum and this means increased Decepticon patrols. The CO of Aerospace finds himself on just such a patrol. It's not totally to his disliking, however, since Nova Cronum itself is a rather... refined place, full of philosophers- and wine drinkers. He may even try to visit it while in the area. Suddenly, there is a distress call over the Cybterton network. Hmmm. The Combaticon shuttle veers off to the mentioned coordinates and flies in to investigate. The transport driver is programmed for all kinds of emergencies, so he makes his best effort to put the shuttle down in an area away from businesses and residences. The transport is on fire, but it's only a mild fire, it's only engulfing one engine and is not infiltrating the cabin in any way. Unfortunately, half of the landing gear fails to descend, so the transport goes into a rough, uncontrolled skid across flat terrain the moment it touches down. There's not much of a way to deploy the emergency brake. "Oh no..." Arcee watches helplessly as the transport begins skidding and throwing off sparks. She begins driving to a point where she calculates the shuttle may end up once it comes to a rest. Her calculations aren't as good as, say, Prowl's, but she's been working on making them better. Once Blast Off gets close enough on his approach, he may be able to see printed on the side of the shuttle, 'ORION 3 ORCHARDS LTD.' Space Shuttle comes in as the other ship makes a less-than-dignified landing. The Combaticon scans the ship. It's not Decepticon, nor does it appear to be an Autobot.... wait a minute.... does that say Orion 3 Orchards?!? Unfortunately, at the same time his scans also detect an Autobot approaching. Arcee, no less. The shuttle sighs a bit... but continues on his course while powering up his weapons. The pink Cybertronian tech car splits apart to reveal Autobot Warrior Arcee! She's ready to kick aft! The shuttle skids to a precarious stop at the edge of a dangerous precipice. Approximately 35% of the front part of the shuttle is hanging over this cliff, while the back portion is stopped on solid ground. The driver can be seen in the cab, trying to decide if it's safe to get out. Arcee reaches the dangling shuttle, and transforms back to robot mode as she eyes the cab. "Driver, can you make it to the unloading area from the cab??" she calls out. The driver nods, and slowly eases his way around the seats to disappear into the back. Moments later, the unloading door slides open, and the driver emerges with a fire extinguisher to put out the still-smoldering engine. "Thank you for arriving so quickly...I have valuable cargo and was a little bit worried when the transport began having mechanical trouble." Space Shuttle flies in, making an obvious appearance now. Slag, looks like the Autofool got here before he did. He observes the precarious situation, and Arcee helping the pilot. Orion 3 Orchards... if that is what this guy is transporting, he carries some very valuable cargo. Rare, valuable... and exquisite. Also- something decepticons only rarely ever get THEIR hands on. There's no way he's leaving this all for the femme to get HER hands on. Transforming to root mode, he brings out his ionic blaster as he closes the distance, finally hovering above the chasm, far from where Arcee can easily reach him... but close enough to be heard. "What IS this? Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Blast Off shifts into his battle-ready robot mode. "Oh no, oh no," The driver-mech is the first to notice Blast Off, as Arcee looks over the transport manifest to make sure this guy's on the level. He puts his hands up. "Please don't kill me, I just drive a shuttle for a living," he insists. "I have no say in your war, or where this product is distributed and where it isn't!" Arcee frowns, looking up from the documents to focus on Blast Off. "...REALLY, Blast Off? You're making a heist of an enerwine truck? REALLY?" Blast Off narrows his optics at the driver-mech. "And yet your product is generally only available to Autobots, or Neutrals. You rarely if ever do business with the Decepticons, and your products have been made illegal in some locations as a result. I'd say you ARE taking sides...." He scoffs at Arcee, "Heist? Who said anything about a heist? Please, as if I'd be so unrefined... I am merely asking questions." However.... actually, a heist isn't sounding all that bad right now..... "Why would this company even bother trying to sell goods and services to a belligerent faction who doesn't pay their creditors?" Arcee says with a smirk. "I can't blame 3 Orchards one bit. And no, that doesn't mean you can bully a delivery driver into changing company policy." "I...I need to report this to my manager," the driver says nervously, still looking at Blast Off's gun fearfully. Blast Off looks down at the driver and the femme-bot. "They probably just ran into the wrong individuals. If they did business with the RIGHT Decepticons I am certain they would encounter no difficulties." he sniffs haughtily. "...Like ME." He looks down again at the driver. "Unlike THIS Autofool, *I* know exactly what you carry inside there... and how rare and fine a vintage it is. I am a wine connoisseur myself, and I would hate to see this cargo go to waste. I demand to be able to inspect it at once." "INSPECT it?? INSPECT the cargo?? Just come out and say it, Blast Off. You want to STEAL it. Guess what, it's not YOURS for the taking. I don't care how refined you are. Theft is WRONG," Arcee says sternly. "And I'm going to have to stop you if you lay a finger on this cargo, because it isn't yours for the inspection or for the taking." The driver is really intimidated by Blast Off. "Please don't take it, I don't make the rules, please don't take the shipment," he pleads. Blast Off gives an indignant huff. "I am NOT a thief! You're confusing me with my less refined brethren. I am far too sophisticated for such chicanery. However..." His tone darkens a bit. "If you keep insisting on referring to me as such, Arcee, I may just decide to lower myself to live up to your expectations... and relieve this merchant of goods he declines to share with my faction. It... seems only fair to me." He glances down imperiously as the merchant pleads with him. "Then let me inspect the cargo." His hand grips his blaster tightly, but he doesn't fire... yet. But he's highly on guard. Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Guarded. "Driver...go ahead and let him take a look," Arcee says very suddenly, doing a complete 180-degree turnaround from her position mere seconds ago. "B...but I can't afford to report a total loss of ship and cargo, I'll be fired," the driver stammers. "That's what insurance is for," Arcee says, very gently guiding the driver away from the door. "And besides, it's just enerwine. They can make more." Perhaps Blast Off's managed to intimidate Arcee...? The cases of enerwine are now clearly in view in the back of the transport. It looks like none of them were damaged in the rough descent, as the deck is spotlessly clean. Combat: Arcee sets her defense level to Aggressive. Blast Off blinks... wait, what? His violet-gray optics narrow suspiciously. Arcee is up to something, he's sure of that much. She wouldn't just change her mind like this. But.... perhaps she IS intimdated... and even if she's not, he's sure he can handle anything the femme can throw at him. He says, "Very well then.... I shall inspect it, and I expect YOU to stay back. If not, I will shoot." With that, he flies in to land on the cliff's edge, blaster aimed at Arcee. Arcee smiles slightly, keeping the driver behind her protectively. The driver is slightly bigger than Arcee is, but being only a transport mech, his armor plating is very standard (a.k.a, poor by Cybertronian warrior standards). "Stay back, okay...don't worry," she whispers to the driver, as she grins at BO's predicament. He's paranoid, now, as he well should be. Arcee indeed has something planned. BO can either watch *her*, or he can turn his attention to the enerwine. He can't do both. "So, inspect it already," Arcee says with a smirk. "What are you waiting for." Blast Off looks up at the two of them, still suspicious. Red flags are waving everywhere, but.... he can't resist the chance to get his hands on some Orion 3 Orchards wine! He wonders what vintage is in this cargo. He simply MUST know, and surely he can handle anything Arcee tries. He's fast, agile, and can shoot her in an instant. "I... will do just that. Do not make any suspicious moves, or I will shoot first and ask questions later." The confident Combaticon then steps inside to inspect the cargo. He opens a crate... is that... oh wow, it's a 2015 Orion 3 Merlot. Absolutely top-notch, ultra rare stuff. "Many... fine vintages here... These are... amazing." He moves around, trying to keep his optic on Arcee at the same time as he looks at the shipment- but it is true that there are moments he can't do both. Arcee waits until the snooty shuttleformer has his mug halfway in a bottle of vintage enerwine -- preferably while he's cradling it like a precious little baby -- and then, at that exact moment, she leaps at him and grabs his head viciously, trying to pound his noggin into the inner shuttle wall or perhaps into an adjacent case of enerwine, whichever she can make contact with first. Combat: Arcee misses Blast Off with her Smash attack! Hawkeye has arrived. Blast Off is holding one of those vintage 2015 bottles, somewhat distracted by its sheer... magnificence, when Arcee lunges at him! She's quick, and her hand just brushes up against his helmet as he ducks backwards as fast as possible, nearly dropping the wine bottle in the process. Alarm flashes across his violet optic visors as he scrambles to dive down and save it. Only his natural agility saves the day. Instantly, he brings his blaster up at her and, optics flashing a deeper purple of anger now, he fires. "You could have *destroyed* that, fool!!!" Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his No appreciation for the finer things! (Laser) attack! -1 Arcee gets shot at close range, and it hurts her plenty, but she's still laughing about Blast Off's priorities. "Oh, I could've broke it, but you have no problem swinging around a BLASTER inside a cargo ship that could STILL tip over into a crevasse! And I'm the fool? I think someone else in here has their priorities screwed up, and it isn't me!" She launches a kick at him, attempting to force him to lost the gun. What happens if she misses? Well, she'll probably connect with one of those precious cases of enerwine, that's what! Combat: Arcee strikes Blast Off with her Kick attack! It had taken a little extra energon to boost his speed, but Hawkeye had managed to make pretty good time after picking up Arcee's transmission. Swooping in from the night sky above, the Apache helicopter certainly looks out of place on this planet, but the Autobot won't let that get in the way of his mission. **WHOOOP** **WHOOPP** **WHOOPP** Dropping down towards the ground, the chopper swirls the air around violently, before it transforms in mid-air. Hawkeye hits the ground in his robot form, quickly drawing his trusty 75mm sniper rifle, "Arcee!! Can you hear me?! I'm here to help you out!" Triggerhappy has arrived. The area is a field west of Nova Cronum. A merchant shuttle marked 'Orion 3 Orchards Ltd' is crash-landed, and by some miracle, it's stopped *JUST* short of falling into a crevasse in the metal ground. The side of the cargo ship is open, and a very distressed-looking driver mech stands outside, staring inside and trembling. Within, some sort of struggle is taking place... And an Apache helicopter with Autobot markings has just arrived on the scene. Blast Off strikes at Arcee successfully, then fumes at her. "Oh really? And who STARTED the fight inside this precariously perched vessel? *I* can fly out of here... *you* cannot. I'll save the cargo and let you fal..OOOOF!" That's about the point Arcee kicks his arm, doing some damage to it and- worse yet- kicking the blaster away, making it skid across the ship's hold and towards the part jutting out over the crevice. Oh slag. He stares at it a moment, then looks up at her. Well, this isn't good. He's got no real physical strength, not that he'd admit it... he HAS to get his gun back. But there's not a lot of room here. Forced to "get physical", the Combaticon lunges at Arcee, trying to knock her aside with the crate lid he removed and get to his firearm lying on the floor. He hears another voice outside, but must get to his gun first. But he sends out a radio message, <> Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his What DOES this do anyway? Scratch your paint maybe? (Punch) attack! Arcee oofs, as she gets smacked in the face with a crate lid. "Dear Primus, you're a blazing idiot," she grumbles. "You know what? To hell with this enerwine. That's right, I don't care." She pulls a vintage 2018 Noir Energex from a crate, and attempts to attack Blast Off with it like a melee weapon. "THIS is what you're risking your life for! Wake up!!" Combat: Arcee misses Blast Off with her Smash attack! "Oh no, oh nonono," cries the delivery driver mech, who's standing near the open shuttle and is scared out of his mind. Judging from the rocking of that transport, either someone's trying their damndest to produce little mechs, or there's a brawl brewing. As Arcee's radio transmission flashes across his visor, he guesses it's the latter. "Alright, hang tight Arcee! Let me try something!" Leaping back into the air, Hawkeye swivels, jerks, and crunches before he takes the form of an Apache helicopter once again. Rising up above the enerwine transport, he expertly lowers his winch around the backside of the ship. His engines *WHIIRRR* loudly as they struggle to compensate, but the Autobot's got to help his teammate. Slowly trying to pull the transport from its impending danger, the Apache painstakingly reverses away from the canyon of doom. << I hope this works!!>> Hawkeye leaps into the air, transforming into an AH-64 Apache Helicopter. Blast Off huffs at her, but doesn't spend a lot of time responding- he's too busy ducking her next attack (though his optics widen as he realizes what she's about to hit him with. However, it just adds extra incentive to make sure she doesn't succeed- there, whew, the wine was spared... for now....). Then he lunges for the blaster, grabbing it with a sense of relief, then swinging it right around towards the femme again. "How DARE you! You Autofools have no appreciation for the finer things.... you're almost worse than some of the Decepticons I know! WHY must I always be stuck with such simplistic *heathens*? And here you speak of "helping" this merchant... how does smashing an *extremely* expensive bottle of wine help him again?" Of course, his firing his blaster probably isn't helping the merchant much either, but, as always Blast Off is quite sure of his sharpshooting ability to hit /precisely/ where he aims. Suddenly... the ship starts... moving? Wha...? Combat: Blast Off strikes Arcee with his Preferred Method attack! -1 Triggerhappy transforms into a blue and white Cybertronian aircraft. Arcee gets Hawkeye. But who does Blast Off get? Yup, that's right, Triggerhappy! Best teammate ever! He asked for it! <'m on my way, boss!>> he responds on the comms, and soon enough is flight form can be seen overhead, making its way swiftly toward the precariously positioned vessel the Orion-3. "WOOOOOOOOOT!" It feels good to finally get a chance to let loose with some serious shooting! It's been a while. Of course, he doesn't really look where he's shooting, either, and might just be making the situation worse for everyone involved. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Arcee with his Be careful what you wish for 'cuz you just might get it... (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes AH-64 Apache Helicopter with his Be careful what you wish for 'cuz you just might get it... (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter misses Blast Off with his Be careful what you wish for 'cuz you just might get it... (Full-Auto) Area attack! This time, when Blast Off fires on Arcee, she stays down for a bit. This one hurt quite a bit more than the last one did, but she's hardly giving up...it just gives her more incentive to try harder. She REALLY hates getting shot in close quarters like this. She seems to quietly disappear amongst the crates of enerwine, and she slides under one of the racks as the entire shuttle begins to move, using that particular event as a diversion of sorts. Combat: Arcee takes extra time to steady herself. Pass If towing a huge shuttle from impending destruction isn't enough, Hawkeye also has to deal with the Decepticon Rambo coming in with a blaze of glory. <> emits the chopper as it fights to maintain its balance in the skies. Triggerhappy's wild fire singes several dark dents into his frame, but it looks like his armor has managed to hold up well enough. <> Continuing to truck backwards, Hawkeye's made some progress in pulling the transport away from the ledge. A few more yards should do the trick, but he can't let up just yet. Swiveling his chain gun around towards Triggerhappy, Hawkeye tracks his target for a second before unleashing a burst of hot lead. **RAAaatttTAAATTtttATTTT* Combat: AH-64 Apache Helicopter sets his defense level to Aggressive. Arcee manages to get tagged by that ridiculous wild-shooting nutball herself, even though she's inside the shuttle beneath a cargo rack. "<< 'Spaced' invader, more like! >>" she tightbeams to Hawkeye. She's very glad he showed up, now. Combat: AH-64 Apache Helicopter strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter with his M230 Chain Gun attack! -1 Blast Off hears Triggerhappy responding and looks uncomfortably up towards the open hatch and the sky. Oh no. Not HIM. Not HERE, with all this rare enerwine. <> But too late. Triggerhappy arrives anyway. And lets his presence known as only HE seems able- by the attempted utter destruction of everyone- enemy or ally alike. Shots spray everywhere, striking the ship's hull and causing it to shake and shudder. Arcee ducks- or falls... somewhere. The commotion causes some of the already precariously placed bottles to fall over and shatter. Optics widen with horror as Blast Off sees that 2015 vintage Merlot start to head to the floor as well and...oh no it won't! The Combaticon dives to the floor to save it, catching it just in time. Then he radios Triggerhappy, <> (Nobody threatens Blast Off's enerwine!......) He also quickly tries catching a few more of the rare bottles as Hawkeye's pulling dislodges a few more and they also come crashing down. Combat: Blast Off takes extra time to steady himself. Pass As Blast Off dithers around paying more attention to the bottles than to her whereabouts, Arcee makes her move. She suddenly slides out from the bottom of the cargo rack, launches herself over the enerwine crates, and leaps at Blast Off, trying to knock him straight into a tall rack of neatly-piled bottles of precious enerwine. Combat: Arcee misses Blast Off with her Melee Combat Expert attack! "Whoa!" Triggerhappy exclaims when he gets peppered in the side with machinegun fire from Hawkeye. He ignores Blast Off's threats, but the gunfire throws the aircraft off course, sending him careening toward the Orion-3. He smacks into the hull. Metal groans, and the ship slides closer to the edge of crevice again. Yep, leave it up to Triggerhappy to make everything worse. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter strikes Blast Off with his I swear I couldn't help that! (Ram) attack! <> The Autobot looks on as Triggerhappy goes kamikaze into the side of the transport. Just like that, all of his hard work had gone to waste. Sure the marksman was glad about hitting his target, but this isn't what he was expecting as the outcome. Releasing his grasp on the shuttle, Hawkeye swoops around towards the loading bay side of the ship, hovering just above the entrance. <> The Apache's chain gun swiftly takes aim at the interior of the shuttle. A fraction of a second later, Hawkeye lets loose with another crackle of machine gun fire. I don't think enerwine bottles and bullets mix well together. Do you? *RAATTttAAATTttATTTT* *RatttaAAATtAATtt** Combat: AH-64 Apache Helicopter misses Blast Off with his Get To The CHOPPA!! (Pistol) attack! Blast Off sees these curvy legs before anything else, running towards him- then disappearing as Arcee leaps over the crates at him. Leaving the bottles on the floor, he leaps aside with a scoff. "You Autofools have no ability to aim. It's *pathetic*!" But then here comes Triggerhappy. It's questionable what he does could be called "aim", but the Targetmaster certainly hits his target- if that target was supposed to be Blast Off, at least. The impact on the ship sends it- and Blast Off, who is right on the other side of the hull- lurching to the other side. And so he gets smashed into a rack of enerwine bottles *anyway*. "AAAAIGH!" The shuttleformer pulls himself from the now shattered rack, purple enerwine staining his brown and purple metal. There's carnage everywhere. That 2015 bottle he worked so hard to save- has been destroyed. Some of the more securely fastened crates may still be intact, but it's hard to tell now. That's /it/. The Combaticon is FURIOUS. Of course, given his cold and aloof nature, it's not overtly obvious. It becomes more obvious when he steps to the open door and fires at Triggerhappy. "I told you to STOP SHOOTING at THE SHIP, you DOLT!" His optics are flashing an intense angry purple now. However, they flash a somewhat paler violet as he sees the Helicopter take aim. Slag. He ducks back away from the door again, grabbing one of the seemingly still intact crates. He's got to save SOMETHING. Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Blast Off strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter with his DISCIPLINARY ACTION attack! -1 "Suuuuuure..." Triggerhappy laughs as Blast Off starts shooting him over -engex-. "Start shooting at me now, instead of the Autobots! Because that's how we're gonna win this thing!" he says sarcastically. "Anyway for your INFORMATION, I wasn't trying to shoot the ship, I got shot by that Autobot over there, and it knocked me into the hull, you -DOLT-!" he mocks, emulating Blast Off's choice of words. "What the slag is all of this about, anyway? You trying to hijack this cargo ship? Or what's left of it...hah." Triggerhappy reverts to his root form. Combat: Triggerhappy's You DOLT attack on Blast Off goes wild! Combat: Triggerhappy misses Blast Off with his You DOLT attack! -3 Arcee has...lost the desire to remain in this thing. She's pretty sure there's not much more they can do to salvage this broken shuttle, not with BO setting up shop inside of it and that crazy friend of his outside shooting *everything*. She feels so bad for the driver mech. She promised him a salvage. Now these morons are getting the cargo. She feels like this is a big fail. There's no victory to be found here. Feeling really bad about this, she meets up with Hawkeye at the shuttle entrance. Arcee can't even look at the poor driver mech. Yeah, he's probably fired for sure. This is an expensive haul. Combat: Arcee begins retreating, leaving herself vulnerable to parting shots from AH-64 Apache Helicopter Arcee's right. There's not much to celebrate here other than the perfect timing to make a tactical retreat. <> The chopper rises up into the air, kicking up some of the crates in the process for an addition diversion. And before you know it, the Autobots are gone. Combat: AH-64 Apache Helicopter begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit. The driver mech scuffs off toward Nova Cronum. "Gee. THANKS." He kicks a stray shuttle part and heads off moodily. <'Decepticon'> Triggerhappy chuckles. "Are you shooting at me over some engex?" <'Decepticon'> Triggerhappy says, "Seriously?" Arcee moves to the Rust Seas Region. Arcee has left. <'Decepticon'> Scorn says, "Somehow that doesn't surprise me with you lot." Hawkeye goes home. Hawkeye has left. <'Decepticon'> Triggerhappy says, "Pfff, me? He called for backup, I came. And now he's yelling at me because some bottles got broken." <'Decepticon'> Scorn says, "He who?" <'Decepticon'> Triggerhappy says, "Blast Off." <'Decepticon'> Scorn says, "Oh dear.." <'Decepticon'> Triggerhappy sighs. "That guy..." Blast Off is going for the crate, grabbing it just as Triggerhappy actually calls HIM a DOLT- and INTENTIONALLY FIRES at a SUPERIOR OFFICER. He ducks out of the way, then ever-so-slowly places the crate down. Oh WELL THEN, this is not going unanswered. Turning around to give Triggerhappy his most contemptuous and imperious look, he retorts, "You... call ME.... a dolt? You say it was an accident? Which makes...what, every single time we have EVER gone into combat and you've shot me... an "accident"? You are truly an accident waiting to happen.... EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. we fight together. Like today, when you have RUINED a fantastic selection of rare and valuable wines." His voice is quite calm sounding. The Autofools retreat, but his attention is focused on the Targetmaster. "And then.... after saying it's all an accident, you deliberately FIRE upon a superior officer? You realize of course I cannot simply ignore that, or allow it to continue." He takes a step towards Triggerhappy, raising his ionic blaster. "I assure you, THIS is no accident. THIS is disciplinary action. And if you deliberately fire at me again, I shall *orbital bombard* you and let the medics sort you out. I think the Decepticons might be safer without your presence, anyway." And standing there with his coldest look, Blast Off fires right at him! Combat: Blast Off strikes Triggerhappy with his Cold Command Decision attack! -1 Triggerhappy takes the shot like a champ, not really even trying to dodge it. He barrels backward into yet another shelf full of engex, sending it crashing to the floor. If this cargo had been worth seizing before, it certainly wasn't any more. Most of it was spewed out everywhere, much of it on the floor though some has splattered on the walls and even the ceiling. "Wow, you're getting this worked up over a bunch of engex?! Seriously? Pfff! You call for someone to help you capture this pathetic tin can full of recreational drinks, then you get your axles all in a twist when the 'Bots knock me into the hull and shatter more of your precious bottles. And as if THAT weren't enough, you shoot at me!" he laughs and gets up, dusting himselef off. "You're so fragile you know that? Physically AND emotionally. Just look at you, shooting at me over some vintage drinks! Hahahhahaha! Honestly Blast Off I usually feel sorry for glass cannons like you. But since you shot at me FIRST, I'm gonna call that self-defense, but not even that, because I didn't even hit you, whereas you actually hit me. Seriously Blast Off, what is wrong with you? All that Blurr-hate getting to your head? He driving you bolts into your spark casing? What is it, huh?" He folds his arms, glaring defiantly at the Combaticon. Blast Off continues to look coldly at Triggerhappy, and responds in the same flat, cold voice as before, "For your information, no, I'm NOT getting this "worked up over a bunch of engex"." (Actually, he partly IS, but he sure as slag isn't admitting it, of course.) "What I *am* getting worked up over is the fact that in every single battle we have ever fought, you either shoot me or come very, very close to shooting me. You are a danger to me, any Decepticons under my command, and yourself as well. You have cost me victory *several* times, and I suspect you will cost me many MORE victories in the future, as well." He wipes off some pieces of glass stuck to his arm's heat shield, then looks back steadily at the Targetmaster. Optics narrow again. "If I am so fragile, as you claim, how the *slag* do you think I could ever be a Combaticon? A highly-militarized, combat-ready troop ready to be brought into the most extreme combat situations. We are *front-liners*. And we were even BEFORE Bruticus." He stands at the doorway, weapon still in hand but slightly lowered now. However, he doesn't let Triggerhappy get too close if he can help it, of course. He *is* actually fragile, though again would never admit to it. The shuttleformer rolls his shoulders, still dripping some of the engex, and adds, "And Blurr? What's Blurr have to do with anything? He's a stupid Autofool who shall shortly be offlined by me. I have bigger concerns." "Yeah, yeah. suuuure you aren't, Blast Off. Whatever you want to tell yourself. If you weren't worked up about it, you wouldn't have called for backup in the first place. Don't flatter yourself with all that rustwash. Trust me it'll get you into trouble one of these days, thinking you're better than you actually are." Triggerhappy smirks, getting all up in his face. "I may not be as good of a shot as you are," he says, jabbing an accusing finger at his chassis, "But at least I'm honest with myself. At least I don't overestimate my own abilities. If you knew what was best for yourself, and for the rest of your team, you'd stop inflating yourself and start recognizing that no, you AREN'T perfect, you ARE too obsessed with killing Blurr, AND you sure as hell are a fragging glass cannon. In more ways than one." He then pulls away, laughing derisively. "Oh, and you're not worth any more of my time. Enjoy whatever's left of your precious Nightmare Fuel. Or whatever it is." Transforming again, he suddenly takes off without another word. Triggerhappy transforms into a blue and white Cybertronian aircraft. Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit. Combat: Your COMBAT flag has been cleared. Blast Off listens, optics narrowing even more as Triggerhappy lays a buuurn on. He's just about *this close* to shooting the mech again, too.... but that would only add to Triggerhappy's "fire." He sneers under the faceplate, waving his hand dismissively at the Targetmaster as he turns to leave. "Spoken like a true peon. And a peon is all you'll ever be. Mechs like you can't even *comprehend*, let alone emulate, the skill set, discipline, or achievements *I* have accomplished- and will *continue* to accomplish!!! This is why *I* am CO of Aerospace and you are under MY command." There's beginning to be an edge of anger to his voice, however, as something has probably hit home- he just doesn't want to admit it. Denial indeed. "I am NOT obsessed, nor am I...I... "fragile". I've survived a *slagging* lot already, and I will continue to live up to the name Combaticon in all things. Fine, so my armor isn't *quite* as heavy as, say, Brawl's may be, but I'm fast enough to dodge most attacks anyway!" But Triggerhappy has left by this point, so the Combaticon shuttle finally stops, turns and heads muttering to the fallen ship. The merchant is probably long gone by now.... and Blast Off wouldn't bother noticing him anyway. The Combaticon stands inside what's left of the Orion 3 Orchards ship and salvages what little is left to save. He's won.... sort of. But it's certainly a pyrrhic victory. And Triggerhappy's words only add to that... cost.